Schematic for site showing walkway elevations and development stages. The model presented could be overlaid onto any site, but the chosen site of Docklands is a reference to the “instant city” concept and how this might be done in a more sustainable manner.
TBC is a low-cost, cross-demographic housing development in Docklands, using prefabrication methods. Internal and external skins are customisable, in a variety of finishes which are installed prior to frame installation. Savings in housing and construction costs can be used to offset the installation and maintenance of communal pedestrian walkways.
As more people "plug-in" to the 3D service network of frames, satellite communities begin to form. These clusters share walkway systems; over time, communal spaces can be introduced and created at different levels, directly influenced by inhabitants. Commercial services can be introduced as needed.
The frame itself is a series of services available for anyone to plug in to, and is conceived as a square; the service elements are to be connected at 90% angles. As the frame grows, it can begin to develop in spaces that were not previously considered residential zones (such as under a bridge, over water etc).
TBC begins to enter a parasitic relationship with its environment. Because the frame works by utilising and developing within the negative spaces created between neighbouring or surrounding environments, the individual inhabited spaces begin to grow and even physically attach themselves to surrounding architecture.
A variety of spatial and structural densities to be inhabited.
Global warming could cause the lower levels of TBC to become uninhabitable. Due to the adaptability of the frame, the skin veneer could be easily removed and relocated at a higher point.
Abandonment is possible in the future whether for social or structural issues. Construction of the frame is a slow, ongoing process. Perhaps as the skin veneer is slowly removed, all that would be left would be the frame of this parasitic body. A measure and marker of construction and inhabitation over time.
The frame grows and decays simultaneously. While some parts of the frame may only be one day old, the lower parts could possibly be hundreds of years old, and become closed-in and abandoned in favour of higher spaces with better views, natural light or social status.
Detailed cross-sections of windows, light-shelves and stairs, showing how "pods" will plug in and out.
Service Columns Cross-Section: Layout of Services and Structures.
Evolution of site coverage from 2007-2057.
The site coverage in 2107.
Site coverage becoming more dense in 2507.
Super-dense site use followed by hypothetical immersion in the time period from 2807 to 3007.
An exploration of internal spaces over the course of 1000 years, showing the initial factory space for the prefabrication, the development of residential spaces and an evolution of community and commercial harmony.
